Seattle businesses are embracing compromise with employees over where they work.
According to new data from the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, 83% of downtown businesses have adopted hybrid work, and 69% of companies from other areas in the region have done the same. The report noted 62% of downtown Seattle companies have employees in the office at least three days a week.
"Many employers continue to embrace flexibility as a benefit for their employees," Rachel Smith, president and CEO of the Seattle chamber, said in a news release. "What we learned from the survey is that employees are doing in-office work more than many have assumed."
Only 9% of downtown businesses are fully remote, according to the chamber, compared with 16% of businesses in other regional locations. Eight percent of downtown businesses operate fully in person, compared with 15% of businesses in other regional locations.
For companies that require employees to be in the office on certain days, the middle of the week is the most popular time to have employees work in person. Of the downtown companies that mandate in-office work on certain days, 85% require employees in on Tuesday, 72% require employees in on Wednesday and 74% require employees in on Thursday. Only 51% require employees in the office on Monday, and only 40% require employees in on Friday.
The Seattle chamber is a 2,500-member business advocacy organization. According to the chamber, the survey of 221 self-selecting businesses was conducted in April. Respondents not considered to be in downtown Seattle were in other parts of Seattle or other locations in western Washington.
The chamber's findings come as local companies call employees back to the office. Seattle-based Redfin, for example, will require employees to spend Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the office starting July 11. Starbucks at the end of January started requiring employees to spend at least three days per week in the office, while Amazon set May 1 as its return-to-office date. The Amazon policy, however, has caused frustration among employees, in part prompting an employee walkout on Wednesday.
